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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27123809">Coalescence</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/inquisitor_tohru/pseuds/inquisitor_tohru'>inquisitor_tohru</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Phasma - Delilah S. Dawson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brendol Hux's A+ Parenting, Canonical Child Abuse, Child Soldiers, Engineer Armitage Hux, First Order Politics (Star Wars), Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Introspection, Mentioned Brendol Hux, POV Cardinal, Stormtrooper Culture (Star Wars), Worldbuilding</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:40:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,044</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27123809</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/inquisitor_tohru/pseuds/inquisitor_tohru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Cardinal, at least, had the opportunity to earn his name before General Hux bestowed it upon him. People respected that. </p><p>Armitage's name had been more like a gift-wrapped grenade.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cardinal &amp; Armitage Hux</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Fic In A Box</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Coalescence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/moreless/gifts">moreless</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was clad in a black, flame-resistant uniform, his face obscured by the sleek new First Order fleet engineer's helmet, but Cardinal immediately recognised Armitage's particular body language as he walked into the mess hall with confidence. Accustomed to being surrounded by bodies packed into shining white armor all day, Cardinal had naturally learned to identify individuals by means other than physical appearance. Switching white for black (or red, in his case) didn't change much there. Naturally, an engineer's uniform allowed far more articulation in terms of movement than polished plastoid plates, but a person's habits remained the same.</p><p>Cardinal couldn't imagine a life without his armor, fitted during childhood - a protective shell that adapted with him as he grew. Without it, he felt naked as a newborn babe, before he even began to peel away his form-fitting black bodysuit. But there were others, like Armitage Hux, who felt differently, and Cardinal couldn't fault him. Being a stormtrooper with a name, and a <em> family </em>name at that, was a heavy burden that he had never asked for. Cardinal, at least, had the opportunity to earn his name before General Hux bestowed it upon him. People respected that. Armitage's name had been more like a gift-wrapped grenade.</p><p>"Congratulations," Cardinal said, offering his gloved hand. Armitage clasped it in a surprisingly firm handshake before sitting down opposite him.</p><p>"Thank you, Captain." It hadn't so much been a promotion as a crossroads in his career, but Armitage seemed pleased with his new role. Cardinal hadn't been particularly surprised when he'd informed him of his application. Armitage had been far from a model stormtrooper when it came to close combat and physical endurance, though he could handle himself well enough with a blaster. But where he really excelled was technology, frequently disrupting the opponents' shields and jamming their comms during combat simulations to give his squadmates an advantage while their enemies scattered and scrambled. He could have made a decent saboteur, if his heart had been in it, but Cardinal understood that it might be difficult for him to find a sense of belonging among the other troopers, given who his father was. There was also the fact that while Armitage was perfectly capable of following orders like any other trooper, it was obvious to anyone with half a brain that he didn't <em> like </em>being told what to do - least of all by his father.</p><p>Although Cardinal generally trusted Brendol Hux's judgements in such matters, he had occasionally wondered whether Armitage might have done better on the command track. Some people were better suited to leading, while others followed. All had value, <em> purpose. </em> Then again, his parentage would likely have hindered him twofold as younger officers made accusations of nepotism, all while the older ex-Imperials ridiculed him for the 'scandalous' circumstances of his birth. What was really ridiculous, in Cardinal's view, was that anyone should be considered lesser because their mother was a kitchen worker. Droids served most of their meals in the mess hall, but who did they imagine <em> cooked </em>for them? It didn't matter whether someone earned their living as a stormtrooper, a radar technician, or a cook. All were vital roles, and all served the Order.</p><p>At any rate, things seemed to have worked themselves out, with everyone getting what they wanted. Everyone, that is, except Brendol, who was either unwilling or unable to let his son go. Perhaps he thought he knew best, though having trained together with Armitage since they were children, he'd begun to doubt that Brendol always acted in his son's best interests.</p><p>Cardinal had hated Armitage when he first met him on Jakku, writing him off as a soft, spoiled, sullen slip of a boy, whose features reminded him uncannily of the skittermice he'd shared his living space with. He'd been furious when Admiral Gallius Rax had given Armitage authority over them, but he'd known that acting against Rax's wishes would have been unwise.</p><p>In fact, it hadn't been until they'd been enrolled in the stormtrooper program together that Cardinal had realised how wrong his first impression had been. Armitage may have lacked physical strength, but he was a quick learner, and nobody could criticise his determinism or work ethic - except for his father, that was. Cardinal didn't recall any precise moment at which his opinion of Brendol Hux, his <em> saviour, </em>had changed. It might have been more accurate to think of it as a slow series of moments, occurring over several years, and coalescing when Armitage removed his helmet to reveal a shining black eye to match his new uniform. Neither of them commented. They didn't need to.</p><p>The serving droid brought over two metal cups, and Cardinal nodded his thanks as he took his caf. Armitage sipped his usual unsweetened tarine tea, and, not for the first time, Cardinal wondered how he could stand the stuff. Maybe the bitterness took his mind off the blues and purples blooming around his left eye. It wasn't the first time he'd seen something like this - all too often he'd been the one to help Armitage patch up injuries that he'd known hadn't occurred during their martial arts training or combat simulations. They weren't friends, exactly, but they were still brothers-in-arms. At first Cardinal convinced himself Armitage must have been doing something to earn Brendol's ire, goading his father into taking things too far, and maybe he <em> had. </em>But in the end, that didn't matter, because all Cardinal saw when they were back in the barracks was a scared little kid licking his wounds.</p><p>It wasn't right.</p><p>"Did you consider what we talked about earlier?" Armitage asked, lowering his voice. Cardinal glanced over to a group of young stormtrooper cadets eating at a nearby table. They were good, smart kids who worked hard for the First Order. He looked back to Armitage, finding strength and clarity in the engineer's resolve, knowing that this was the right thing to do, and nodded.</p><p>"I have." Armitage gulped down another mouthful of tea, wrinkling his nose when he found a partially disintegrated bit of tarine leaf lodged between his teeth. But he still found it in himself to smile, and Cardinal found himself smiling back.</p><p>Because in three days' time, Brendol Hux would be dead.</p>
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